Disconnected, Façades
by VoltageStone
Summary: After Robbie buys a "Cloninizer" from a catalogue, Jade and Trina are struck with it. Instead of one, there are now two; with doppelgangers running around, the gang find the world flipped upside down, harmful secrets revealed and the cracked personalities of Trina and Jade. The question is, will everything go back to normal? Answer: Not as hoped. (Jori) -Rated M for Content-
1. Chapter 1

_July 22nd, 2018_

 _Hope you enjoy!_

 _:)_

* * *

 **\- Disconnected, Façades -**

 ** _And to think you thought your mask was strong,_**  
 ** _Bright enough to glow before others,_**  
 ** _Concealed enough to lie to yourself..._**

 ** _Question is:_**  
 ** _How will that glow dim once you're disconnected?_**  
 ** _How strong will that mask be when you pull yourself together?_**  
 ** _Sometimes you need more than a mirror to reflect that..._**

* * *

 _ **No One's Perspective**_ _ **-**_

It was just like any other school: lockers, classes, gossip, confusion, disputes and groups. Of course, the lockers each had a coat of life covering the flaky metal, ranging from glass to stabbed by scissors, then glimmering lights to bottle nipples. (Admittedly, some lockers are never spoken of, purely because of the sheer embarrassment.) The classes, too, were full of exaggeration and excitement, with a hint of enthusiasm. The social life, however, remained the same. Everybody was unintentionally placed into various, rather odd assortments of groups; though, being in an environment where face and talent was the norm, any strange ones stuck out like a sore thumb.

And many would argue that - in a nutshell - that was what made Hollywood Arts. When the interesting lockers and teachers were set aside, it was any other school.

Or...is it?

Strange things happen within those walls. For one, a sister who hadn't even been enrolled at Hollywood Arts had to cover for the poor, unfortunate junior whose tongue swelled to its maximum (hopefully, anyway - not that it was painful, but imagining it bigger would be describing a whale) during a showcase. Of course, the sister had been enrolled for a year thereafter, the junior now a senior.

A senior with five-inched heels, racing around the corners of the halls. She couldn't be late - not to her _first_ meeting of the semester. And as she whipped around another corner, her world spun as she hit the ground with a yelp. Blinking rapidly, she snapped, "Watch where you're- Oh..." She felt a blush cross her cheeks as she looked up, a boy crouching over her feet. He pursed his lips, expression remaining impassive. "Hey cutie," she mumbled, scrambling to her feet.

As she padded down her tight skirt, he only asked, blandly, "You're Trina, right?" She couldn't help but nod enthusiastically with a small grin.

"And _you're_ Tony, right?"

Trina watched as he stood, gnawing the inside of his cheek. "Right..." he drawled, black eyes following as she reached for her dropped notebooks and pens, "you're Tori's sister?"

She paused for a moment before reattaching her smile. "Oh, who cares about her? She got her talents from me," Trina said. Tony only shifted his bag over his shoulder before starting off, barely moving around her misplaced things. Her eyes followed him - pitifully blinded of his unamused features - before turning back around for her things. She stood up and jerked at the tap at her shoulder. Trina then spun around, meeting an awkward, bashful smile and her pen in his hand.

"You- uh... You dropped this, Trina," he mumbled, holding up the writing utensil. "It rolled over by my locker," he continued, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder towards a graffiti-style painted rectangle of a jungle.

She took the pen sharply, the boy flexing his hand after it was torn against his palm. Trina watched him for a moment, pursing her glossed lips. "Thanks..." she murmured, her sentence trailing off.

The boy brushed his long, coal hair from his stark, hazel eyes. After a few moments, he said, "Rick...from period three?" She blinked at him. "Our canvases are right next to each other."

"Oh!" She chuckled quickly, slipping the pen back into her pocket. "You're _that_ Rick!" He eased a shaky laugh, hooking his thumb to his jeans. "Well, bye then." Her heels clicked passed the poor boy as he stared at the empty spot before him, blinking through his confusion. He mumbled weakly before shuffling back to his locker as Trina felt another tap at her shoulder. "What do you want now?" she groaned, twisting around. "Oh... But what _do_ you want now?"

There was a frown across her sister's face. "You told me to remind you about today at the theatre."

Trina pulled a face. "For what?"

Tori rolled her eyes, heaving a long sigh. "You know," she started, "the hours for community service that Sikowitz handed out?"

"Yeah, okay, I'll be there at four."

"But, but it starts at three!" Tori retorted as her sister began to stride away. "Trina!"

"I'll be there at four!" was her response. The half-Latina mocked the line for a moment before trailing back towards her locker - a shining one reminiscent of her performance at the showcase - and to her group. Four stood there, three with their eyes at Trina as she melded into the crowd with one giggling at a magazine. There was a page flipped, revealing a strong dimple across an innocent smile. Tori only shook her head towards the girl.

There was a chortle, too, before, "You're sister's a pill."

Even though she couldn't agree more, Tori sent a half-hearted glare across the group's circle; "Thanks Jade," she retorted. Jade only hid behind her cup of coffee, a knowing smirk and a mischievous glint playing her features. Tori pursed her lips to hide the ghost of a grin before dropping her gaze down to the intertwined fingers between Jade and an easy-going-looking dude - Beck. He shifted quietly, eyes flicking between the two girls. "Anyway, about the Black Box Theatre, do any of you know who's doing what?"

A dark-skinned boy only shrugged against her locker, explaining, "I dunno. Sikowitz said to bring as many people as he could. Didn't really say what we were doing, did he?"

Beck said, "I'm assuming it's cleaning up after that play. It ended with the students shredding a bunch of books." There was another giggle emitted from behind the magazine, the rest of the group watching curiously. "Cat...?"

The girl - with exotic red hair - jerked her attention from the pages. "What?"

"What are you reading?"

Andre nodded along, adding, "Yeah. Is it that same 'Sky Store' you were raving about after visiting your uncles?"

Cat paused, watching the group carefully. "...no."

Jade rolled her eyes, breaking her hand-hold with Beck before raising it towards her. "Come on," she ordered, "let me see it." Cat glared at Jade for a few moments, though reluctantly pushed the magazine - or catalogue - towards her. Jade analyzed the cover, brows furrowing. "What's 'Space Haven'?"

The redhead snatched the catalogue from Jade's hands, earning a hard stare. She ignored it, turning towards Andre excitedly. "I _did_ find it at my uncle and uncle's house," she admitted before turning towards the rest, "but it's higher and better than the 'Sky Store'! I mean, how much higher can you go?"

"Smoke some and we'll see..." Jade mumbled under her breath.

Beck only rolled his eyes, tucking his empty hand into his pocket. Everybody turned once there were hurried steps racing through the halls, a curly-haired boy pushing his glasses up to the bridge of his nose. He halted, panting with a small box under his arm. "It came! It came in just today!" The group rang with questions as Cat jumped, clapping her hands. He set the box down before ripping it open, having already cut the tape with scissors. With one hand, he pulled out a strange, space-alien plasma gun. "I got it from 'Space Haven' after Cat had me look through it and bought-"

"A plastic, toy pistol. Great," Jade commented.

Tori patted his shoulder, asking, "Robbie, what's the toy do?"

"It _isn't_ a toy!" he argued sadly.

Cat hurriedly flipped through the pages before grinning. "It's the 'Cloninizer'!" she announced, earning a quiet grin from Robbie.

Andre leered over the page, furrowing his brows. "Seventy-nine bucks? Robbie, it even says, 'It's going to double your world for twice the fun. This cheap party trick will be a blast of a life-time.'" Robbie shook his head, tucking the Cloninizer back into his backpack.

"Well, okay, I _bought_ it from the Cat's thing. But it actually works! I found it on this website for three grand, and on their website, they said that they sold it to 'Space Haven' since it was a version that is older."

"So you bought a seventy-nine dollar toy-looking gun from a catalogue that bought it from NASA?" Beck asked.

Robbie shook his head. "Private corporation. That, and it'll be worth it. I'll show it to you guys at the theatre, I _swear_ it'll be worth it."

The group looked at one another, unconvinced. There was a pause, before Andre mumbled, "Right... Well, it'll be awesome to play with anyway." Robbie nodded with a satisfied smile; he didn't expect anybody to understand anyhow.

But they would like it, he was sure.

 **. . .**

There were still shredded paper covering the floor, even with the large trash-bins filled with the discarded, ruined books. Andre, Cat and Robbie had at least three bandages on their hands, having been nicked by the paper. Jade, Beck and Tori only managed accumulated one as a whole, being slow and careful with their work. The room was quiet and somewhat giddy; Robbie constantly gave lingering glances towards his bag, Andre returning knowing looks. Half the work would be done, and _then_ fun with the gun - that was the deal.

The double doors blasted open, Beck jerking with his pile of paper. "Fuck," he snapped, sucking at the edge of his thumb. He picked himself up, running water from a bottle over the second cut on his hand. After drying it with his shirt, he turned towards Trina. "Thought you said four," he said, glancing at the large overhead clock - _4:57._

"Hello," Trina muttered, pointing to her shoes, "I can't do anything with _heels_ on."

A snort came from her side, Jade lifting her gaze from the sneakers. "That's why you go on your knees, right?"

" _Jade_ ," came with a whack to her shoulder, Tori unable to suppress a grin. The sister turned towards Trina. "You know you'll only have two hours on your service now, right?"

"I know. I had to take care of business." She set her hands on her hips before asking, "So what now?"

"Pick up the shit on the floor and put it in the trash cans," Jade replied. Before Trina could start her work, Robbie let out an excited holler.

"Ten trash cans! We can see the Cloninizer!" Beck, Cat, Andre and Tori left Jade and Trina to their spot, curiously following the awkward boy as he shuffled through his bag. While Jade finished her pile, Trina was ordered to stay and clean the floor. The circle around Robbie was curious, watching as the blaster whirled to life with a flick of a button. "I kinda figured out what to do with it this morning. You basically turn it on, aim it at something and it'll clone it to two different versions... Well, I only turned it on," he explained.

"Alright, shoot something," Andre said. Robbie chewed his lips, eyes wondering towards a pile of books. Beck quickly grabbed a blank one, its leather cover a dark shade of blue. He set it on the table, then backed away. Everybody around Robbie did, the anticipation still beading his temple as if they got closer. He pressed his index against the trigger, and felt the blaster vibrate. After a few moments, a quick spurt of white flashed towards the book.

There was a thunderous snap before the book smacked against the wall. Large grins splayed across their faces. A strange, black smoke began to fester against the wall, the room engulfed in the scent of charcoal. Robbie stepped forward, carefully, coughing through the smoke. Apprehension took hold of the waiting group, eyes peering through the dark mass. Robbie stepped out with a victorious, toothy smile, a book in both of his hands. One was of baby blue while the other black.

"Told you it would work."

Beck looked up to the ceiling, focusing on the fire alarms. "Why aren't they going off?"

Robbie shrugged. "It must not be real smoke. Anyway, you guys want to have turns?" The group all grew into a hyper excitement, the Black Box Theatre soon consumed in bright rays of light, black smoke and extra books.

"Oh! Oh! Do Purple! Do Purple!" Cat begged, pulling out her stuffed, violet giraffe from her bag. The group clustered around, shot the toy before pulling out two more, one a vibrant blue and another a dull red. All while they had their fun, Trina watched from afar, bringing the piles of paper to the trash-bins. Though, as time went on, the beams of light lessened as the students went back to their chore, one-by-one. Every now and then they would analyze the Cloninizer, which had been set carefully on a table as a sort of prize.

An hour had passed, the room being much cleaner. Cat, Jade and Trina had remained on the stage, sorting the last of the messy piles while Tori closing the double doors behind her. Andre, Beck and Robbie sat, watching the Cloninizer. "It really does look like a toy," Andre mumbled, folded arms holding his head over the table.

"Yeah...but it's not," Robbie replied quietly.

Beck tapped the barrel of the blaster, brows furrowed in thought. "I wonder why the corporation sold it."

There was a shrug, and then, "Maybe they thought it wasn't worth much."

"Could be they had better versions too," Andre offered as Tori came up from behind. He shifted, raising his head to his palm. "What if you shot a person with it?" Nobody answered, only watching the Cloninizer curiously.

"Hey! Watch where you're stepping Trina!" They all looked towards Jade's scowl as she picked herself up, rubbing her hand gingerly.

The older half-Latina only crossed her arms. "You threw the paper at me earlier, _remember?_ "

"Oh boy," Tori groaned, walking towards the two girls. "Trina, please."

The eldest sister gawked. "Why are you always defending her?" She glared at the smirk across Jade's face. Trina pressed her index to Jade's chest, growling, "Quit with that look!"

Jade snapped, "Don't _touch_ me!" She snatched Trina's wrist, wrenching it to the middle of them. As they stared at one another, there was a sudden racket, then a collection of yelps with a blast. Cat screamed as the two turned towards the edge of the stage. White clouded their eyes before they felt the searing sting rush through their systems.

"Robbie!" Tori cried, whipping towards the table. All of the boys were at their feet, staring at the Cloninizer on the ground.

"I accidentally knocked it over," Andre admitted, blinking towards the girls. "What's happening to them?"

Everybody watched as the two yanked their hands from one another's grasp, their body rigid. If it wasn't for the green hue coloring Trina's cheeks, her hand over her mouth or the vein surfacing at Jade's temple, the sight would've been almost comedic. In a sudden jerk, Jade hurled herself back, smacking against Trina. They grunted, staggering back until they smashed into the set, toppling to the ground. The wall beside the fake office they crashed into fell, completely shrouding the rest of the group from view.

Tori eased forward as the groans grew less and less, clearing her throat. "Uh...Trina? Jade? Are you- Are you alright?" As the group inched themselves forward, around the collapsed set, a hand shot around the corner. Trina - with a wide grin - stepped out back onto the stage, eyes flicking around the room. "Trina?" Another figure came to view, this time Jade with a light scowl. "Jade?"

As they clambered off the stage, the rest of the group was put-off by their calm, collected appearance. Trina turned toward Tori, a strange gleam in her eyes. "I'm going home and when you're there, remind me that I need to finish my work-out, okay Tori?"

Her sister stared at her blankly. "Trina," she scoffed, the others frowning, "you're supposed to help us finish. You nee-"

"Oh _please_. I don't _need_ to do this shit. All I need to do is show the producers what I am," she snapped, walking towards the double doors. Trina turned around dramatically, the door opening. "A performer!"

If that sight wasn't enough to leave Tori dumb-struck, when she turned around, it was worse. She watched, stricken, as Jade pressed her lips greedily against Beck's, arms tangled around his neck. As she pulled away, Jade purred something in his ear. Her eyes - a crystal blue to which Tori tilted her head at - switched to the half-Latina. "What are you looking at, Vega?" she snarled. The group gawked as they watched Beck blindly follow Jade; once he looked back, he gave a blissful grin.

Andre let out a hoarse chuckle as Cat came to Tori's side, arm around her shoulder. "Well, I guess that's one way to do it," he snickered weakly, Robbie adding a soft, "Yeah..."

They all started once their was a cough behind them. Black smoke had completely dissipated by this point, leaving another Trina and Jade. Though, their clothes were at a dimer hue, eyes tired and expressions sullen. Trina and Jade - or their doubles - slowly strode towards them, movements ginger. "J-Jade?" Tori asked, searching through another strange pair of eyes: a dark, leaf green. And to that, the other Jade - or maybe it _was_ just 'Jade' - nodded.

Trina coughed hoarsely, rubbing her neck. "I need a fucking Advil."

Jade agreed quietly.

In fact, everybody else did.

 **. . .**

The waitress came around at her table, dark eyes watching the four expressions as she collected the empty plates and bowls. "Do any of you want dessert?" All shook their heads politely.

"I'll get the check," Andre said instead. She nodded before whisking away. Cat, Robbie, Andre and Tori all sat, hands either crossed, on their laps or fiddling with their utensils. "So...two Jades and Trinas." There was a nod in agreement. "What do we do?"

"Well _obviously_ ," Tori grumbled, "we try to fix it so we have one Jade and Trina."

"Tori," Robbie sighed, flicking a crumb off of a puppet beside him, "calm down, please? I know you're mad but-"

The half-Latina rolled her eyes. "But _what?_ My sister and-" She halted herself, eyes darting nervously to Cat; the redhead only stared at her lap. Tori cleared her throat. "My sister and friend are now split into two, Robbie! What the hell is wrong with our lives for that to happen?" The boy only sheepishly shrugged.

"Well, we can start by differentiating the two," Andre suggested. "I say we call the first two - the happier ones - Trina and Jade, and then the gloomy ones Trina-doe and Jade-di." Tori arched a brow. Andre shifted, mumbling, "Well, it rolls off the tongue."

"I like it," Cat added with a soft voice.

Tori shook her head. "No. I'd switch it... The second should be Trina and Jade, and the first Trina-doe and Jade-di."

"Why?"

She turned towards Robbie, working her jaw. "I just, I don't think the gloomy ones would like it if we gave them names like that," she answered. "I mean," Tori added, "the happier ones wouldn't mind, right?" They all nodded in agreement.

"So happy Trina is Trina-doe, and happy Jade, Jade-di. Cool." Andre clapped his hands as the waitress passed their table, quickly reminding herself for the check. "So...how do we tell Beck then?"

"We tell him. I'd go the sooner the better," Tori answered.

"Yeah," Cat agreed. "Before school."

Andre chortled. "If he doesn't have his hands all over Jade- Er, Jade- _di_..." Tori shuffled uncomfortably, a small frown crossing her features. "Can we cut it to Jae-di? That rolls off the tongue easier," Andre proposed. Tori waved, not giving a single damn.

"Alright, sorry about that," the waitress said as she came back around. She placed the check on the table with a cheery smile. "I'll be back in a few moments, alright?" The four nodded with another round of polite smiles, though didn't speak. None did as they left, either.

If your friend split into two - and then another - with a plastic-looking blaster, how could you anyway?

* * *

 _Yes, yes, I_ know _. I didn't write this to be out there now, since I'll really crack down on this once the three other stories (_ The Doggie Project _,_ Only a Winter's Tale II _and_ Chatter of the Bewitched _) are completed. I've had this story idea rolling around for about half-a-year now, and it became distracting. I debated posting it here over shutting it away until the other stories were done...but then decided to just to get feedback. Never really had a story like this - being sci-fi(ish) and all - but I hope it'll do well._

 _Anyway, hope you enjoyed._

 _:)_


	2. Chapter 2

_Sept. 11th, 2018_

 _Hope you enjoy!_

 _:)_

* * *

 ** _No One's Perspective_** ** _-_**

The front door slammed forcefully, so much that the pictures hanging on the walls nearby shuddered. He rolled his eyes, arching a brow towards the lights blurred from the blinds across a large set of windows. As he padded his way up the stairs, the light sank into the shadows of the house's dark driveway, the crunching of gravel accompanying it. _Some things never change_ , he gathered, slinking down a hallway.

However, he paused by a doorway, which had been marked with scratches and paint marks over the years. He frowned, leaning into the room. "Uh...Jade? How'd you get all the way up here?" She turned from the window and watched him. Jade arched a brow—which was nearly identical to his—with her otherwise blank expression. "You do know Beck's waiting for you outside then, right?"

Jade shook her head. "No, I've been here."

"What?" He jabbed his palm to the light switch by the door.

She hissed, "Jared, turn that off! My head's killing me enough already!"

Jared ignored her. "What do you mean you've been here? You just got done telling me to piss off so you can go and fuck, or whatever!"

"I _know_ ," Jade growled. "But _I've_ been here. I came in from the back door, remember?"

Her brother ran a hand through his thick, dark brunette hair, scoffing. It wasn't that he didn't remember, but he remained unconvinced. "Oh come on. Whatever game you're playing isn't working. You— Are you wearing contacts?" Jared blinked in puzzlement, staring at her contently. (It was borderline creepy.) Though so were the green eyes that he barely recognized; they resembled their father's, but not Jade's.

"No, but I have a clone," she answered.

Jared rolled his eyes—something that was just as common as his breathing. "Har, har. Real funny Jade. Give up the dumb-ass prank," he deadpanned.

"I'm not kidding," she hissed, looking back out to the window. "Look." Jared decided to kid his sister, and strolled to the window. Sure enough, he found his sister and Beck at the front of the truck, making out instead of driving away. "See her?"

"I don't... I'm not high, am I?" Jade looked beside her, unamused. "Don't tell Dad."

" _Jared_! You're seventeen!"

"What? I already graduated and he said I'm free to do whatever until I'm nineteen!" Jared defended. "And in any case, why the fuck are you at two places at once?"

Jade rolled her eyes with a scoff. "You get it from that weird Asian kid, don't you."

"Not the point," Jared hissed, gritting his teeth.

"I already told you," Jade continued, dropping the subject for later, "I have a clone."

"How is that possible?"

"Robbie got this thing from a catalogue and it actually works. It hit both Trina and me, so now there's a pair of each of us running around."

Jared frowned, watching as Beck's truck sunk away and onto the street. "So...are _you_ the real Jade then?"

"Yes and no." And all at once, she appeared tired. _Drained_. Jade meandered to her bed and slumped on it, her hand to her forehead. Jared couldn't blame her. For one, by the looks of things, Jade stole her own boyfriend from her. "This is such a fucking mess," she breathed. Green eyes flicked to her younger-by-a-year brother and growled, "Now turn off the lights. I'm going to get another migraine." He nodded softly and strode across the room. Before closing the door quietly, the lights flicked off, bathing Jade in a black room.

He heard her groan quietly as she fell onto her bed, and he figured he'd have to wake her up with some Advil and water in the morning. Maybe even a nice plate of breakfast too—in bed with a tray.

And he wasn't wrong.

 **. . .**

At the slow knock outside her room, Trina groaned sourly into her pillow. The door was opened as Tori figured it was an invitation. The younger sister glanced around the room briefly, which was decorated with canvases of half-done paintings to murals along the walls—all done by Trina. She eased herself on the bed and looked at her sister pitifully. After all, a bundle of blankets wasn't a good sight to digest.

"Trina?"

"What...?"

"You alright?" There was another groan forced before Tori sighed. "Look...about your uh, your clone." At that Trina twisted around, blinking towards her sister groggily. "Okay, so first we called her Trina-doe, and you just Trina. And Jade—the one that was with Trina-doe—is Jae-di."

"Okay. That's good to know."

Tori nodded. "Yeah...well, where is she?"

"Trina-doe?" Tori nodded again. "I don't know. She took my keys though."

There was a slow, weak sigh. "Oh... Well...are you going to school?"

Trina gave a weak glare as she said, "I feel worse than shit, so no."

"Okay. Well, get better then." Trina grumbled, sinking into her pillow as she prayed for the room to quit spinning. Tori slipped out quickly, closing the door behind her as quickly as she could. It wasn't until she was down the hall before her phone was to her ear. "Yeah, hey Andre? Can you pick me up? Trina's not going to school and it looks like the...clone took her car."

 _"Alright...be there in ten. Which reminds me, what about her cell? Do Trina-doe and Jae-di have them or..."_ Tori couldn't answer that question, so she mumbled a generic answer. She couldn't answer any questions at this time, not without her own head throbbing in confusion.

 **. . .**

School wasn't different from the day prior. Not in the slightest. People were drawn to conversations they wouldn't remember an hour later, and any other business at a school went as the custom. Some instruments wailed in the hall. Few students were caught swearing by a teacher. Food was being eaten. It was usual. It was the norm.

So why did everything seem flipped on its head?

Andre, Tori, Robbie and Cat were all clustered around the half-Latina's locker, attempting to make conversation without disrupting the elephant in the room. But that was near impossible. Especially since many students talked about cloning and thrillers (a movie, _Cloninizer: Back from the Past_ was being released that weekend, to the amusement of the group). So, they stood in silence, waiting for anything. Waiting for Jade to walk through the double doors, it seams—they all nearly stumbled to greet her, which wasn't necessary. At the middle of the hall, Tori asked, "Jade?"

The double—or half—nodded.

"Are you alright?"

"My head's not killing me anymore," she answered hoarsely. Everybody seemed to breathe easier. "What's going on?"

Andre shook his head. "Nothing, really. It's just...weird. We came up with a little system though. You're Jade and the other's Jae-di. And then the Trina that went with you is Trina, and the other one Trina-doe." Jade nodded and mumbled softly to herself. "Anyway, have you seen Jae-di?"

"Not since last night."

"When she left with Beck?" Robbie asked, Rex-less. The said puppet was previously stuffed in his backpack.

Jade thought for a moment, then said, "At my house. I went home with my car and she came back with Beck, took some things as I was laying down in the den."

"What things?"

She turned to Tori, who remained to her side. "My spare house keys, which I assume was because she couldn't find these ones—" she jangled a keychain from her finger "—some clothes, and the leftover condoms Beck forgot." Robbie and Cat appeared stunned, Andre chuckling and Tori pale. Jade rolled her eyes and snapped, "Oh quit that. They probably expired a few months ago. Which is what the bitch gets for leaving _my_ room a mess." Jade groaned, recalling one small detail: "Oh, and my brother found out."

Andre, with his snickers resided, asked curiously, "How did he react?"

"Gave me a breakfast-in-bed, actually."

"Oh that's nice."

"Yeah. Eggs and toast. It helped my head a lot." There was a spell of time that went by, nobody adding anything. Instead, Robbie and Andre were perplexed by the overall calm aura around Jade, which was usually contradicted by the aggression. Not that she didn't look the part. Tori swayed in her stance, hands wringing wrists; Cat thought she was about to walk away at any second.

"Jade?" Cat asked, attempting to drive the conversation forward, "so what do you think we should do now?" Jade didn't know, so she shrugged.

"Andre and I can look up stuff. If you want to join us," Robbie said to Cat, "you can."

Cat nodded determinedly. "Yeah, I'll join."

And the bell signaled the end of their mediocre attempt of a conversation. They quickly dispersed, realizing that their classes were quite the ways away, and had only three minutes till. As Tori stalked off, Jade called out after her. "Tori? Hold on, we have the same..." She sighed to herself when Tori turned the corner, not looking back. "Class," she finished with a scowl.

 **. . .**

If they knew how laborious and frustrating it would be researching about the Cloninizer, Andre, Robbie and Cat would have saved it for another place. The school's wifi, to say the least, was not reliable. Several times Andre and Robbie grew annoyed and snapped at the computers for loading over a minute. "I thought you said that it would be better after school." Andre flopped against his chair, defeated.

"I know, and it usually is. I don't know if there's too many people on it or what."

Cat frowned and pondered on the table behind the boys. "Isn't midterms coming next Tuesday?"

Andre nodded. "Yeah, she might be right. A lot of the teachers may be on right know putting grades in. And I think a club or two are using it."

"That's convenient," Rex pipped from Robbie's side. The puppet turned to the ventriloquist. "Why couldn't you just use your own computer, man?"

"Because it's _broken_."

"How?" Cat asked.

Rex chuckled mischievously as Robbie blushed. "Er...nothing."

"Your mom wasn't happy, was she?"

"Rex!" Robbie cried as Andre chortled from his computer, a big grin across his face.

"I understand," he said. "Anyway, did you get a response?"

Robbie went to another tab and nodded. "Yup. 'You're such a' bleep 'that plastic' bleeping 'gun doesn't do' bleep 'you' bleep... So nothing useful." Robbie leaned closer to the monitor. "How many times do they have to cuss at me? I only asked a question."

"Well, to be fair," Andre sighed, "you _did_ buy it off a cheap website. And it does look like a toy."

"So?"

Andre quickly went to Robbie's side as Cat scoured the internet with her phone, and pointed. "He bought it too," he paraphrased for the amount of obscenities was far too much. "Said it only lit up and stuff."

Robbie frowned. "That's...weird. Does that mean we have to call the original producers?"

"Seems like it." Andre folded his arms. "I don't get the whole deal with Space Haven and whoever made the Cloninizer. It's kind of confusing. Did the producer, like, sell it to them, or sell them models?"

The ventriloquist sat there, puzzled. "I don't really know. _But_ , on the bright side," he grinned, "it was only...eighty bucks."

"Uh huh."

"And free shipping!" Cat intervened excitedly.

Robbie gestured towards her, nodding enthusiastically. "See? Cat gets it. Eighty bucks and free shipping."

"For a toy..."

"Ah, but it wasn't."

Andre rolled his eyes. "You bought it as one. My point is, this whole thing is a bit sketchy. And we need to get Trina and Jade back together."

"Yeah. That's going to be difficult."

"We don't even know where Trina-doe is. And Jae-di is probably doing something gross with Beck," Cat said, pulling a disgusted face.

Robbie nodded in agreement. "Yeah. And we need to know what'll happen if this goes on for too long. Like...do they build memory separately? Will they accept each other back after a while?" Everybody pondered on those questions, though couldn't bring themselves to answer. They didn't want it to come to that.

Instead, Cat asked, "Why didn't Tori come?"

The boys shrugged. "She said she needed to see how Trina was doing."

"But she didn't come eat with us either," Cat mumbled.

"It's alright, Little Red," Andre patted her shoulder, assuring, "she'll come tomorrow. Don't worry about it."

* * *

 _I'm rereading all of my stories, and some are taking longer than others... I'll update them once I get back with them. Anyway, I updated this; not 100% sure if I'm happy with this chapter, but whatever. At that note, I'm also not planning this to be that long. It'll be a bit of a quick-paced one, about nine to fifteen chapters (which'll be longer than this one). Maybe one or two more... Any-who, I'm thinking two/three parts in total. Cool? Cool..._

 _Hope you enjoyed!_

 _:)_


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